


Rise of the Dregs

by Zokugun



Category: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-05
Updated: 2019-10-05
Packaged: 2020-11-24 11:17:58
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,801
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20906795
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zokugun/pseuds/Zokugun
Summary: 100 years ago, as a knight of the princess, his only concern was her safety. As the designated hero and the light of Hyrule, he has a lot more to think about. Link awoke to a world that was far different than the one he knew one hundred years ago, and a murderous thief will be his guide. When a bright light casts a dark shadow, love might be found in the confusion.ReaderXLink





	Rise of the Dregs

[Chapter One: The Shadow]

It had been nearly two weeks since I had awoken in this word, with no memories and nearly no direction. What little heading I had was given to me by a disembodied voice, and the ghost of a ruler long dead.

_'Not too promising...'_ I thought as I walked down the path. I hoped to get to a stable or town before nightfall. The creatures of the night were strong. Not as strong as I am, but night after night of being on constant guard would make anyone sloppy. It was only a matter of time before one stupid mistake would be the last mistake I ever make.

I was lucky to find a Bokoblin that had a bow I could loot, but the prize I had found so far on my journey was an old rusted sword.

_'Pretty pathetic.'_ I would have cut through the shrubbery to make a quicker path through the forest I saw on my Sheikah slate, but the sword looked like it was one or two chops away from breaking entirely. I didn't want to chance it.

"H-HELP!!!! AHHH!!!!" The scream pierced the late afternoon sky, disrupting the birds in the trees making them retreat skyward in a panicked flight. I didn't think about it, I just bolted ahead. As I ran, I took out my shabby sword, hoping it would hold up for one more battle.

Coming into view of the commotion I ran into the fray. I Slashed two of the five little red Bokoblin's from behind, taking them off guard as the woman they were attacking fell to the ground. Quickly I sidestepped and parried another mindless lunging attack from another. A swift downstroke nearly cut it in half from skull to belly.

_CREENCH-_

"Damnit!" I cursed as the rusted metal of my sword whined in protest and cracks began to appear. I focused on the Bokoblin that was closing in on the woman. She was frantically kicking out at the slobbering creature. She didn't do damage, but she did stall it for time. I wrenched my arm back and took a steadying breath, and with careful aim I let the sword sail through the sky. The sword went right over the screaming woman and collided with the Bokoblin in a shower of sparks as it broke on impact. It killed the creature and inflicted shrapnel damage to the one standing behind it.

The lone monster snorted and looked around at the others in its mob as the last of them turned into black wisps of smoke. It chittered its teeth before running back into the forest.

"T-Thank you, sir!" The woman all but yelled at me. I knelt beside her and looked her over, checking for any major injuries.

"Are you hurt?" I asked, offering her a hand to help her to her feet.

"No, I'm not, thanks to you." She said breathily accepting my hand. I pulled her up in one swift motion. She stumbled forward into my chest, and I quickly steadied her.

"Are you sure?" I asked with a slight smile, and I took a step back to give her room. It didn't appear that she wanted the space though, she threw her arms around my neck making me cringe in pain. Three days ago, the Bokoblin the I got the bow from shot me first. She backed away from me immediately.

I griped my shoulder but smiled sheepishly at her worried face.

"Oh no! Your hurt!" She said.

"I'm fine."

"No, you're not! Come, let's go back to the stables. I just left there; we can tend to you properly. I'm Anna by the way." I smiled at her again. She was pushy. Not exactly what I liked, in a traveling companion, but I wouldn't turn down a little nursing, or directions to the only civilization for miles. She walked beside me along the path and chatted about nonsense that I didn't really listen to.

Something made the hair on the back of my neck stand up as I looked out into the growing dark of the forest. I kept trying to shrug it off, but it didn't go away. The nagging feeling lingered as the last light of the day faded, or what I thought was the last light. Over the treetops in the distance was a large and colorful horse head made of what looked like wood and brightly colored cloth was lit from within.

_'That must be the stables... Thank Hylia.'_ I sighed in relief as we approached.

"That's why I left. A shadow is killing people at this stable, but with you here I feel totally safe!" I finally queued into Anna's rambling when she hugged my arm to her.

"What?" I blinked down at her, I should have been paying attention. For a split second, she looked like she narrowed her eyes in anger, but as quick as it flickered across her eyes it was gone.

"The shadow! Three travelers have been found executed around the grounds. Everyone has been on edge. I only stayed one night, and this person showed up." She shivered and held me closer to her chest.

"No one can see his face because of the hood he is wearing, it's all black just like the rest of his getup!"

"Are you sure that he's the guy? Maybe he just likes the color black." I stated, taking another look into the darkness of the forest.

_'Maybe there is a shadow out killing people. Ganon maybe, but why all the way out here?'_

"All the other patrons think so too, even the innkeeper! He is too scared to kick him out. Maybe you could! You'll protect us, right?" She looked up at me with pleading eyes, making my face grow hot. I looked away sheepishly.

"Y-yeah, of course, I will." I laughed still not looking at her.

_'I was told I had to be a hero. This is as good of a start as any I suppose.'_

"Thank you Link! You're such a hero!" It took me a second to think her last statement over, not only had she nearly mimicked my thoughts...

"How... do you know my name?" She faltered in her steps for a second gripping my arm tighter.

"What do you mean?"

"I don't remember telling you." I fixed her with a look, trying to see what the frail girl was hiding.

"B-but you did! On the path after I hurt your shoulder." She stuttered. I thought back hard, trying to recall the conversation. "Oh, I knew I hurt you! You said you were okay, but I can tell now that you were in so much pain you don't even remember what you said to me!"

I didn't remember so much of my past, and It had been a long, sleepless trip. Maybe I had told her my name? The worry in her face, made me close my eyes and breath out lowly.

"I think I'm just tired, I'm sorry Anna." I apologized, and fatigue seemed to settle over me like a lead blanket.

"It's okay, Link. Let's get to the stables, you'll feel a lot better after food and a good night's sleep on a soft bed." It did sound nice, but the troubled feeling of being watched still clung to me.

_'The shadow, huh? We'll see who you really are.'_

It was only another half an hour before we walked into the clearing lit buy soft lanterns and campfire light. Everyone watched us as we approached. Anna was grinning and looking at all the others, whom I would assume to be guests of the stables. They smiled back at her in varying ways.

"You seem like you know a few people here..." I said still uneasy.

"Like I said, I just stayed here a night ago, and I pass through from time to time." She said casually while pulling me up to the guy at the counter. She seemed to be clinging to me with a vengeance. For being so small, she was surprisingly strong.

"Hi, Kenta!" She chirped. "This is Link." His eyes flicked back and forth for a second as she punctuated her next words. "He is a hero, and he is going to get rid of that cloaked guy for us! We'll need two beds!" The guy nodded and wrote a note down on a paper behind his desk.

"I don't know about all that. You still didn't tell me why you thought it was him."

As we walked, I looked out into the distance, the sun had long set and the stars were bright. A whooshing sound came from behind me, and I did a quick quarter-turn pushing Anna behind me.

"It's okay Link, It's just a falcon. There is a lot of them around here." It was a bit embarrassing that I was jumpier than her. She smiled trustingly up at me and tugged at me to get near the fire.

"It's his eyes, you know. Predator's eyes." She said resuming her prior conversation. "And how he never sits with us at meals or never talks to anyone." She led me to two men tending a cookfire. She sat us down on the ground just before the fire. The smell of salted meat made my mouth water.

"Are you talking about the shadow?" One man asked, flipping a piece of stake I was watching way to closely.

"Yeah." Anna threw around nervous looks. "Have you seen him Yukon? Is he here somewhere?"

The man looked over to his left and peered into the darkness as he flipped over a cubed potato that was also cooking over the fire. It was so hard to do... but with at the will I had, I tore my eyes away from the food followed his gaze. I couldn't see anything at first, maybe it was because I was just looking into the fire. After a few seconds, he appeared out of the darkness. It was as if the shadows hung from the small hooded figure like he was alive with them. They seemed to fall away from him letting me see a just a glimpse of glowing [E/C] eyes, and nothing else before swallowing him up in darkness again. I shivered, despite Anna cuddling up to my side.

"You see! It has to be him; you'll kill him for us, right? Tonight?" I blinked in confusion, stunned by her request, I leaned back and looked at her with narrowed eyes.

"So, he's creepy. That doesn't mean he is a killer!" I exclaimed, something about this whole thing seemed wrong.

"He is the killer." The other man said looking into the fire with a thought. I heard Anna choke back a sob then throw herself at me again, my shoulder throbbed in pain.

"You have to protect me, Link! I just know I'll die." She hickuped and buried her face in my arm. I winced.

"I don't even have any weapons, my sword broke when I was fighting the Bokoblin's today!"

"You can have mine; it's been a long time since ol' Busan was on the battlefield." He rolled the stiffness out of his shoulders as if emphasizing his point. Anna looked up at me again tears spilling out of her dark eyes.

"I just know he will come after me, tonight." She pulled and my heartstrings. I looked at the broad sword propped up next to Busan's spot and sighed.

"I will protect you, but I will not kill him without proof." She sobbed.

"How will you protect me from shadows if you don't kill them first!"

"You will sleep in the bed closest to the wall. We can corner you in, and he won't be able to get through me without me waking up, and if he does wake me... Well, will have all the proof we need. Okay?" Her eyes still watered but she nodded, and Busan handed me his sword. More important than that though, Yukan speared several pieces of meat and potatoes on a long sharp stick and handed it my way. It was all I could do not to squeal in excitement.

An hour later Anna was asleep in the corner of the stable. My bed was next to hers, blocking the path. My shoulder was still throbbing, but Anna had rebandaged it. A bit too tight though. It was hard to fall asleep, but eventually, I managed.

_Chink-Thud_

I awoke quickly but my bleary eyes took a minute to catch up with me. I strained my ears, listening to the blackness. Listening for shadows.

There! I shot up and out of bed, grabbing my borrowed sword as I ran quietly to the counter.

"Quickly let the-" My hushed whisper was cut short when I realized that the keeper of the stable was not there. I crept quietly to the doorway and out to where the campfire burned down to embers. Casting a quick look to be sure no one had gone in the inn. All was quiet, and Annas still sleeping form was tucked away in the back of the room.

I walked out slowly to the two slumped forms by the fire. Both men were dead. Blood seeped out from the back of there necks where it met their skull. I inspected the wounds quickly.

_'This is a professional- Anna!'_

I ran back to her bed, grabbing the lantern off the counter as I went.

"Anna!" I called as I neared her. I grabbed her shoulder to pull her up, and out of bed. I stopped. Stopped breathing. Stopped thinking. Stopped existing. At that moment I saw her head fall back at a sickening angle, a large angry red line across Annas throat gaped up at me, illuminated the lantern I held.

I stumbled back, falling on my ass hard. The lantern snuffed out as it rolled away from me. I sat in the darkness listening, but there was no sound. That feeling of being watched had left me. Even though I sat in pitch darkness, I knew the shadow was gone.

I didn't sleep, I just waited out the night. It didn't take long, after a few short hours the sun crept up over the horizon, illuminating the carnage in a whole new light. With a heavy heart, I walked out of the stable gathering the seven bodies I could find. He found the innkeeper first but saved gathering his body last. The killer had tied him up across the nose of the horse head, in a macabre display. Painting the horse as if it was ready for war.

Link worked silently, methodically, and with a heavy heart. He laid the bodies in a row behind the stables in the empty livestock pin. I figured at least the wild animals would be hindered from getting to the bodies before I could alert the authorities.

The bodies didn't faze me as I had expected, it was dulled like I had seen death countless times before. Who knows, perhaps I had for all I could remember. The part that bothered me most was the senseless loss.

_'So many dead and for what?'_ The loss of Anna weighed heavy my mind. I recalled her looking up at me with her trusting eyes, begging me to keep her and her friends safe.

_'She expected me to keep my word and protect her. I failed, and they are all lost now... Some hero I am.'_ The guilt gnawed at me as I covered the seven bodies, I had betrayed them. I walked the camp taking what I needed to get to Kakario Village. It was still a few days ride, and I would never make it there with what I had alone. That fact didn't make me feel any better as I looted the camp.

_'I'm nothing but a common thief.'_ I shook my head and made my way to the side stable with a saddle and bridle in hand. Three horses and a donkey were in one large outdoor stall.

_'I'm surprised he didn't kill them too.'_ He let the donkey and two or the horses lose before grabbing at the third. She didn't seem to want to bolt like the others had, so I took her as mine. As I saddled her up my brows furrowed in confusion.

_'Why didn't he kill them too? Seemed hell-bent on killing everyone... For that matter, why did it all happen the night I got here? Was he waiting for me?'_ Questions looped in my mind as I mounted the horse and spurred her forward. I wanted to put as much distance between me and my failure as possible, but one question stayed at the forefront.

_'If he was waiting for me, why did he leave me alive?'_

**Author's Note:**

> That's the conclusion of chapter one, I'm not one for long authors notes.
> 
> So yeah, thanks for reading!
> 
> \- Zoe


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